Improved means of protecting war-vessels



' UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIGE.

EDVIN A. STEVENS, OF HOBOKEN, NEV JERSEY.

lNIPROVED MEANS OF PROIECTING WAR-NESSELS.

Speeih'catiou forming part of Letters Patent No` 36,868, lair/d November L1, lnb'l- To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN A. S'rEvENs, of Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and use- Injurious Effects from an Eneniys Shot; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description ot' the same, rei'er` ence being had to the accompanying drawing, making part of this specification, and being a transverse section oi' a vessel illustrating my said invention.

I have by experiment discovered that the substance of a sheet of india-rubber fastened to the side of a structure of wood or other shipbuilding material will not be detached from such sheet in any material degree by the effect of a shot that passes through said structnre and through the rubber, but that the rubber will split and expand, so as to let the shot through, and then return nearly to its original shape and nearly or quite close the orifice. This effect is most complete when the rubber is placed inside of said structure.

In this case another important effect of the rubber is to prevent the dying ofthe splinters oi" the wood or other material. I there fore employ an inner or an outer sheathing of rubber, or both, on the sides of the vessel, for the purposes described; and my invention particularly consists in the use ot' such a sheathing of indiarubber upon the sides, top, or

bottom of chambers or vessels containing wa- C is an upper deck covering and confining the water upon the deck B.

D D are partitions by which the water-space between the decks B and C is divided into a number oi' compartments or tanks.

EE Erepresent a sheathing ol india-rnbber,

which may be applied tothe sides A and deck ful hlethod of Protecting Vivar-Vessels from l B, on eithertlie external or internal surface, or both, in any part which can possibly be pierced by an enemys shot. The effect oi' the said sheathing` will be to close the aperture made by a shot, as hereinbefore explained, so as to prevent any considerable flow of water through it. rI`hc vessel may thus be preserved from sinking, if the aperture made by the shot be below the water-level, or in the event oi' ashot` penetrating the wall of a water-chamber located above the sea level and employed to submerge the vessel for purposes o' defense, the escape of the water within the said chainber and the consequent rising of the vessel will be prevented. In like manner theapplication of the gum sheathing tothe water-deck B will close the aperture therein, if from an insufficient depth of water or other cause a shot should by any possibility penetrate the said deck. rlhewater upon the deck will thus be prevented from flowing into the interior oi the vessel, and will remain to protect the deck from further injury.

I am aware that ithas before been proposed to use a sheathing of india-rubber to automatically close an aperture made by a projectile.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure bv Letters Patent, is-

The use of a sheathing of gum elastic or equivalent material applied internally or er ternally to the side, top, or bottoni of a chamber or vessel containing water to be used fee inimersing ships, or as a protection against projectiles.

A. STEVENS.

\Vitnesses:

A. L. HoLrEr, Eon. F. BROWN. 

